1. Russia During the Early- Modern Period

2. Review of Russian History ► Kievan Rus  Dominated by Kiev, but various other principalities throughout ► Ties with Byzantine Empire ► Adopted Orthodox Christianity in 900’s ► Fell under Mongol rule in the 1220’s  Remained under Mongol rule until late-1400’s

3. Russia Under Mongol Rule ► Golden Horde  Indirect rule, largely for tribute  Used local princes and officials as tax collectors ► Economic and Social deterioration  Stagnant economy ► Lack of trade ► Tax and tribute a financial burden  Arts and learning (literacy) decrease ► Orthodox Christianity remains dominant religion

4. Throwing off the “Mongol Yoke” ► Moscow grows in power  Princes serve as tax collectors for Mongols  1400’s stop paying tribute, rebel against Mongol rule ► Ivan III (Ivan the Great) major figure in freeing Russia from Mongol rule  Ends by 1480 ► Moscow begins conquest and expansion

5. Beginnings of a Russian Empire ► Under Ivan III, Moscow begins to build a Russian empire  Promotes centralized rule ► Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), will continue expansion and centralization of power  Crowned himself as tsar

6. Ivan IV (The Terrible) ► Ruled from 1533-1584 ► Known for intelligence, devoutness, and mental instability ► Centralized power as tsar by eliminating suspected political threats  Execution of many aristocrats (boyars) ► After death, his son became tsar, but died without heir  Setting off “Time of Troubles” in Russia  We will come back to this in just a bit.

7. Patterns of Expansion ► Moscow expands west and seizes territory in Kiev, Novgorod ► Looks to east (Siberia)  Ideal for furs, timber, gold, and iron deposits  Harsh climate  Sent out Cossacks (explorers) to settle new lands ► Comparable to the American pioneers of the American west  Lands were granted to loyal nobles  Claims Alaska ► By end of early-modern period, Russia had become the largest country in the world  Spanning from the Pacific Ocean westward to Eastern Europe  Southern border met with Ottoman Empire

8. The Romanov Dynasty ► Back to the Time of Troubles ► After death of Feodor (Ivan IV’s son), there was a power struggle to determine who should rule  Conflict between the boyars ► 1613: boyars choose Michael Romanov as tsar  Ruled from 1613-1645  Established the Romanov Dynasty that would rule Russia until 1917

9. Romanov Dynasty ► Under the Romanov Dynasty, Russia would continue its expansion ► Alexis (Michael’s successor) reaffirmed the tsar’s role as both political and religious leader in Russia  Close tie between Church and State ► Greatest of the Romanov rulers were:  Peter the Great  Catherine the Great

10. Peter I ► Peter the Great ► Ruled from 1689-1725  Autocrat: harshly put down rebellion ► Created a secret police to help maintain order  Westernized Russia ► Modeled military after the west ► Built Russia’s first navy (w/help of western Europe) ► Encouraged learning and education ► Reshaped social norms among the elite  Western dress, shaving beard

11. Peter I ► Mostly unsuccessful wars with Ottoman Empire ► Great Northern War (w/ Sweden), gained access to Baltic Sea  Built St. Petersburg & moved capitol

13. Selective Westernization ► Peter the Great was very deliberate in his choices for reform  Used tactics to weaken the boyars by taking away their traditions ► Censored Western ideas that might threaten his power as tsar  ie. Enlightenment ideas and Parliamentarian government ► Also, did not implement changes in labor  West using paid labor while Russia was implementing an extreme version of serfdom

14. Catherine the Great ► Following Peter’s death in 1725, Russia had a series of weak rulers ► Next great ruler was Catherine the Great  Ruled from 1762-1796  German princess  Married to Peter III (distant relative to Peter I) ► Mental handicap, became tsar  1762, her husband dies (maybe murdered?) ► Catherine instilled as regent and then declared Empress

15. Catherine the Great

16. ► Much like Peter the Great in her policies  Selective westernization ► Patronized European art, architecture ► Courted favor with boyars by giving them more power over their serfs ► Ruled with absolute power by putting down rebellions ► Gained new lands  Crimea (bordering Black Sea) and part of Poland

17. Responses to Reforms of Peter I ► Boyars often angered due to loss of power and their old traditions  Catherine the Great gave some power back to the boyars ► Peasant revolts common  Neither Peter nor Catherine instituted policies to help the serfs ► Passed laws giving landowners more power over their serfs ► Scholars begin to write about and call for reform  Their ideas censored and writings banned

18. Bringing It All Together

19. Russian Government ► Autocratic government  Tsar ► Appointed local magistrates to carry out tsar’s wishes on a local level ► Often filled bureaucracy with people from within and from outside of the aristocracy  Training systems to promote merit  Designed to keep boyars from gaining too much power ► Close tie between Church and state  Tsar seen as head of state as well as Church ► Attempts to make government more efficient  Ie, systemized law codes and taxation

20. Russian Society ► Population growth  Population doubles in 1700’s (36 million people) ► Nobles (boyars) important part of Russian society ► Landowners, control of serfs ► Orthodox Christianity dominant religion among Russians BUT  Multicultural empire due to new lands and peoples incorporated during expansion  Internal tensions as a result ► Westernization policies helped to make elite Russian society comparable to that of the west  Clothing styles, adopted forms of architecture ► The onion dome was a variation of the dome that was popular in Renaissance architecture ► Did NOT develop large urban centers and artisan class, which was common in Western Europe  Remained largely rural, agricultural economy

22. Russian Society ► 1649: peasants legally declared serfs  Pleasing to landowners and boyars b/c it gave them more power  Extreme, and unusual, form of serfdom that bordered on slavery ► Unlike most other systems of serfdom, Russian serfs could be bought and sold ► Serfdom was a hereditary status that could not be escaped  The conditions of common people in Russia continued to deteriorate ► Revolts common ► Sets stage for massive changes in Russian history later on down the road  Serfdom finally abolished in 1861

23. Women in Russia ► Westernization brought more freedom to upper-class women  Encouraged to attend public events with men  Pass the whip ceremony ended ► Lives of peasant women remain largely unchanged

24. Russian Economy ► Agricultural based  Low ag. productivity, serfs not motivated to make more b/c landowner would get the profit ► Lack of large urban middle class or artisans and merchants ► Very little industry and manufacturing ► Trade (largely in furs)  Facilitated largely by merchants from western Europe ► Some attempts to diversify the economy (limited)  Metallurgy, mining ► Much of Russia’s money was used to fund the military

25. Final Thoughts ► During the early-modern period, Russia sets the stage for the rest of its history  Builds world’s largest state  Reform policies help Russia transform and advance  Emphasis on military will help Russia gain a power position in the world  Social unrest and inequality set stage for revolution and change later on down the road